In light of the Colorado theatre
shooting, I am struck with how terrible things happen to people
everyday. I am sure that there are many that are asking “why?”
and “how can a loving God do such a thing?” These are vital
questions that everyone must answer. Myself, I answered them long
ago and though I could talk about the reasons, I don't want to right
now. The bottom line is that I have faith and I know my God and I
don't define my God by what happens to me; I define what happens to
me by knowing God. You can ask yourself “Why?” all eternity long
about the bad things that happen to you, but you will only kill your
spirit, draining yourself of the strength to face another day.
So I choose to focus on the positive.
For example, the story of Petra Anderson, who survived a shot in the
head because of a brain defect she had had since birth though she had
no idea of it. She had a channel of fluid that ran from the front of
her brain to the back and the bullet happened to follow that channel
so as to not damage the vital parts of her brain. That is certainly
not a coincidence. God had prepared her from birth to get through
this incident. What she does with that from now on will be the true
miracle.
I can look back and see that God
prepared me for breast cancer. Eleven months prior to my diagnosis,
I got a wonderful job from home that has allowed me to keep up with
working all through my treatments. I didn't opt for medical coverage
when I was hired, but was urged to seek double coverage at the time
of diagnosis. Since k12 had grown so much (in a recession no less
:-) they were switching everyone over to a new insurance and so I was
able to get coverage with no pre-existing condition exclusion and my
doctors were in the network. From the people he has surrounded me
with, to the knowledge of Him in which I was firmly planted, God has
lovingly provided me with all I need to get through this part of my
life. Not just to survive, but to proclaim his glory through it all.
Our lives are a mosaic lovingly
arranged by God. Our hearts are delicate pieces of glass that God
breaks apart and it may seem like random shattering. But
he picks up each piece in his loving hands and adds his own pieces
and makes a beautiful masterpiece. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, we can't
see the picture that He is making and the finished product isn't
always recognizable. In fact, I don't think the masterpiece of our
lives is ever really finished. Sometimes you have to step back to
see the beauty in the shattered pieces, but it's there. You can
look for answers or you can look for beauty, but strength comes from
beauty.
Psalm 22: 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.